Rachel Blount
@BlountStrib
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Staff Reporter/sports at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, covering the Olympics, Wild and other games people play.
Joined July 2012
Fresh SportsTake: @BlountStrib leaves @StarTribune. #Vikings opener ft. @DaneMizutani & @Andrew_Krammer. Zimmer's new job . . . & old anger from @markcraignfl. #Gophers volleyball success, football concerns. #MNTwins slumping toward playoffs. Get it here:
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Here we go! Volume 1 of my new sports newsletter. Topics include @StarTribune Olympics controversy, #MNTwins trade deadline inertia, change coming to @MIACathletics hoops and a big showing by a Minnesota basketball team at a national Native American tournament.
It's launched. SportsTake: The WeekEnder by @afansview The newest @fluencemedia tip sheet. READ: https://t.co/fmqwMMcv6P SIGNUP: https://t.co/KhU2LUCYea
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A frustrating and shortsighted decision. I miss the humanity, perspective and experience @BlountStrib would have brought to these amazing Minnesota stories: Suni Lee, Regan Smith, Anthony Edwards...the list goes on. Star Tribune readers deserved better.
@BorzMN For the record: I am heartbroken @StarTribune decided not to send anyone to cover the Paris Olympics. As @BorzMN said, we proudly covered our Minnesota athletes at the Games for more than 50 years. Senior management pulled the plug; I never got an explanation.
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Not a bad story, but @BlountStrib would have given us something different. Something Minnesotan. Like the story behind Sara Bacon’s silver, Suni Lee’s quest for another gold, the Minnesotan behind South Sudan’s first basketball win, or a dozen other local connections. #STribFail
Female Olympians hit the fashion runway in Paris to celebrate hard-won gender parity
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A fabulous way to build an industry that has been struggling since the internet started. “Let’s do less of what we do best and this will bring us back to our glory days!” How do you grow an industry by subtraction?
@BorzMN For the record: I am heartbroken @StarTribune decided not to send anyone to cover the Paris Olympics. As @BorzMN said, we proudly covered our Minnesota athletes at the Games for more than 50 years. Senior management pulled the plug; I never got an explanation.
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@StribSports @BlountStrib The @StarTribune’s Olympics staffing decision will be among the topics I’ll cover in my first Sports Take newsletter later this week. It’s the newest addition to @bloisolson’s Fluence Media family of newsletters. I’d be honored if you’d subscribe. https://t.co/4GbkPvDFG2
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When @pacecarr was unceremoniously ousted from the sports editor’s chair a few weeks ago this is exactly the type of decision I feared. Once newspapers rely on wire service copy to cover local athletes it’s over. AI copy is coming next.
@BorzMN For the record: I am heartbroken @StarTribune decided not to send anyone to cover the Paris Olympics. As @BorzMN said, we proudly covered our Minnesota athletes at the Games for more than 50 years. Senior management pulled the plug; I never got an explanation.
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@BlountStrib @BorzMN @StarTribune It’s shortsighted. The biggest stories in MN sports the last 5-10 years have been Suni Lee in Tokyo and Jessie Diggins in Beijing and Pyeongchang. And Regan Smith poised to be it Paris. That is not serving MN readers.
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Support your hometown papers — they are often the best storytellers. Grew up inspired to join the Olympic sports industry by reading @BlountStrib’s feature stories in print.
@BorzMN For the record: I am heartbroken @StarTribune decided not to send anyone to cover the Paris Olympics. As @BorzMN said, we proudly covered our Minnesota athletes at the Games for more than 50 years. Senior management pulled the plug; I never got an explanation.
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Brutal. And ridiculous! The Strib’s coverage of local athletes is one of the reasons I subscribe. I don’t have the Star Tribune’s data re: why people still read the paper, but do you think I’m an outlier?
@BorzMN For the record: I am heartbroken @StarTribune decided not to send anyone to cover the Paris Olympics. As @BorzMN said, we proudly covered our Minnesota athletes at the Games for more than 50 years. Senior management pulled the plug; I never got an explanation.
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Very disappointing. No doubt @grove et al. will cite costs, but great #localangle coverage drives subscribers (like myself).
@BorzMN For the record: I am heartbroken @StarTribune decided not to send anyone to cover the Paris Olympics. As @BorzMN said, we proudly covered our Minnesota athletes at the Games for more than 50 years. Senior management pulled the plug; I never got an explanation.
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Rachel Blount has covered 13 Olympics for the Star Tribune and the paper didn’t send her to Paris. It’s really disappointing. It makes Minnesota feel diminished. Our Olympians deserve to have their stories told by a professional who can provide the appropriate context.
@stephenhero @rochelleolson 13. Every Summer and Winter Games from 1998-2022.
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Thank you so much, @stribgillespie đź’”
As a former member of senior management, I’ll add this: @BlountStrib always delivered medal-worthy coverage for Star Tribune readers.
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Some news: I'm joining @bloisolson's team at Fluence Media to launch Sports Take: WeekEnder, a weekly tip sheet that will collect the most important and interesting sports news in & around Minnesota. I'd be thrilled if you'd sign up and tell your friends. https://t.co/4GbkPvDFG2
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Regan Smith vs. Kaylee McKeown: A backstroke rivalry peaks at the Paris Olympics.
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Lovely thread here recapping Chris Carr's tenure as @StribSports editor. Our department will sorely miss his leadership. I hope the support, respect, empathy and positivity he gave to us comes back to him a hundredfold. đź’”
What a thrill it was to lead the Star Tribune Sports Department. I hope I went about it in ways that showed my gratitude and respect for the job and for the people. And those people, wow. Dream team. The best. Root for them. I will be. https://t.co/eGsWDZi8ph
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More Wiskus: "I'll remember this experience forever. This is probably the last gymnastics meet of my life. What better way to end it than at home with the two best competitions of my entire life?" #USAGTrials24 #RoadtoParis2024 /end
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This ⬇️ It was extremely close between Wiskus and Juda for the last spot. The team selection is based on a math formula that determines the group with the highest scoring potential. BTW, athletes wanted this kind of system.
Me comparing Shane Wiskus and Paul Juda's scores. (Again: it's the pommel horse.)
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Shane Wiskus named an alternate for the Paris Olympics. He did everything he could possibly do to put himself on that team, giving a bravura performance in his hometown. He should be proud, and MN should be proud of him.
For the very first time, we proudly introduce the 2024 U.S. Olympic Men's Gymnastics Team presented by @Xfinity! ➡️ Asher Hong ➡️ Stephen Nedoroscik ➡️ Frederick Richard ➡️ Brody Malone ➡️ Paul Juda Traveling Replacement Athletes: Khoi Young & Shane Wiskus
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Three top contenders for the women's Olympic team--Blakely, Jones and DiCello--all injured at trials. Two ruptured Achilles. Shocking and sad.
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